The present invention relates to step stools and more specifically to stackable step stools. The design of the stackable step stools permits such stackable step stools to be stacked one on top of another to preserve floor space and increase the stability of the stacked objects.
Stores typically stock products on shelves. If products cannot fit on shelves, a store may display those products on the floor. Products like chairs, tables, and stools typically cannot fit on shelves and therefore require floor space for display. Unfortunately, floor displayed products take a large amount of precious floor space which in turn limits the amount of floor space for other products. To combat this problem, some stores will only display a single floor model while other stores may display a very limited quantity of the product.
By displaying only a single floor model, customers may not be able to locate the single floor model. Once a customer locates the floor model, the customer must then find a worker to retrieve the desired product. In some cases, the product may be out of stock or the store may not have the desired quantity of the product in stock. All of these factors can lead to frustration for a customer. As a result, the store may lose a sale because the customer chooses to go to another store or the manufacturer may lose a sale because the customer chooses to purchase a similar product sold by a competitor.
Limiting the supply of a product being displayed also causes problems. For instance, if a customer buys the last product on display, the next customer may not be aware that the store sells that product. As a result, the store or manufacturer may lose a sale. If a customer wishes to buy a larger quantity than is displayed, the customer may choose to purchase a similar product sold by a competitor or go to another store to purchase the same product. Both of these examples demonstrate how a limited floor display can cost either the store or manufacturer money due to lost sales.
One viable option to overcome these problems is for manufactures to sell products that are stackable. By stacking the product, the manufacturer can ship more products because the products require less shipping space than if the products are shipped in stacks. By stacking the product, stores are able to display a larger supply of the product yet still save precious floor space.
Simply stacking items does not solve all of these problems, especially since manufacturers have been making stackable chairs and tables for years. Manufacturers typically make stackable products that still require a large amount of floor space because the stacks extend outwardly in one direction. Not only do the stacked items require additional floor space, but the stack becomes unstable and therefore unsafe if the stack keeps extending outwardly in one direction. As the stack becomes higher, the center of gravity for the stack keeps shifting in one direction, until the stack simply topples over.
An example of a stackable item which extends outwardly in one direction when stacked are the chairs shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,316,016 to Petersen. A first chair is placed on the ground with additional chairs being placed on top of a lower chair with each chair extending the stack of chairs further out. The stack of chairs reaches a point where additional chairs can no longer be stacked on top because the stack will topple over.
The same problem occurs with tables or platform stages, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,842,412 and 2,833,607, respectively, both to Mackintosh. Both of these inventions involve stackable items. However, in order to stack these items, the items are designed having trapezoidal shaped platforms to allow the tables and platforms to be stacked on top of each other. Again, the same stability problem is encountered since the stackable items extend outwardly creating unsafe stacks as well as requiring additional floor space.
This stacking and stability problem is not limited to trapezoidal shaped items. The same problem occurs with rectangularly shaped tables as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,326,148 to Jakobsen. Jakobsen""s invention is for stackable tables, where the stack of tables extends outwardly with each additional table.
All of these stackable items face the same problems. They have all been designed to be stacked on top of one another and as a result, the stack extends further from vertical every time another item is stacked on top. Unfortunately, these items cannot be stacked in an alternating manner where all of the odd items share one plane and all of even items share another plane. The back supports of the chairs, as claimed by Petersen, prevent the chairs from being stacked in an alternating manner. The platforms and tables as claimed by Mackintosh cannot be stacked in an alternating manner because the items are trapezoidal shaped and the legs of the upper platforms interfere with the lower platforms. Even when the tables are rectangularly shaped, as claimed by Jakobsen, if the tables are stacked in an alternating method, the legs of an upper table will hit the legs of the table that are two below the upper table.
A need therefore exists for stacking stackable products in a safe manner. A further need exists for reducing the amount of space required for a stack of stackable products. If the legs of the tables and platforms were angled away from the table surface and platform, i.e., at an obtuse angle away from the table or platform, the tables and platforms can be stacked in an alternating manner thereby providing a safe stack as well as reducing the amount of space required for the stack.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to create a step stool structure that can be stacked, one on top of another in a stable, compact manner.
A further object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of floor space required to display a stack of stackable step stools.
A further object of the present invention is to reduce the amount of shipping space required to ship a stack of stackable step stools.
The present invention is a stackable step stool that can be stacked in a safe and sturdy manner. The design of the stackable step stool allows the stackable step stools to be stacked on top of one another in an alternating manner, thereby reducing the amount of space required for the stack of step stools. The stackable step stool comprises a platform and legs which are attached to the platform and are obtusely angled away from the platform. The platform can be rectangularly, square, circular, or oval shaped. The platforms include a raised ridge which surrounds the perimeter of the platform surface. To provide safety to a person using a stackable step stool, the surface of the platform is covered with a non-skid surface, although the presence of this non-skid surface is not meant as a limitation.